Esoteric Christianity: The Greek Mystery Religions and Their Impact on
Christianity

The mysteries were cults into which a person was
initiated (taken in). The initiate was called "mystes," the
introducing person "mystagogos" (leader of the mystes). The leaders
of the cults were the "hierophantes " (revealer of holy things) and the
"dadouchos" (torchbearer).

Several mystery religions existed before the Hellenistic
era. Their great period began when the Romans imposed peace upon the
Mediterranean world, during the reign of the Roman emperor Augustus, towards
the end of the first century BCE (a few decades before the birth of
Christianity). In the first century CE various mystery religions existed
side-by-side throughout the Roman empire. Almost every city of the eastern
Mediterranean had a temple dedicated to a god or goddess of a mystery religion.
These religions were so widespread that many Roman officials and emperors
participated in them.

Here are some examples. In Alexandria Ptolemy IV Philopator
(reigned 221-205 BCE) was a devotee of Dionysus. In Rome Emperor Augustus
(reigned 44 BCE to 14 CE) was an initiate of the Eleusinian Mysteries and a
devotee of Apollo. Under his rule, in 28 BCE, a splendid temple of Apollo was
built on the Palatine Hill. At about 34 BCE the Roman general Mark Antony,
after his successful expedition to Armenia, entered triumphantly into Ephesus
casting himself in the role of the savior god Dionysus. He was received by
ecstatic maenads (women participants in orgiastic Dionysian rites). Gaius
Caesar (Caligula), the Roman emperor from 37 to 41 CE, instituted his own
mystery religion and was initiated in it. Isiac frescoes dating from the time
of the emperor Caligula were found in the ruins on the Palatine Hill at Rome.
Emperor Vespasian (reigned 69-79 CE) became a devotee of Sarapis after he
participated in a miracle (a cure of a lame hand and a cure of a vision
problem) in Alexandria (at 70 CE). Domitian (reigned 81-96 CE) built a huge
temple for Isis and adopted the Egyptian dietary laws after the priests of Isis
saved his life. The Isis temple that the emperor Domitian erected on the Campus
Martius (the Field of Mars) in Rome at the end of the 1st century CE was a
stately building. Trajan (reigned 98-117 CE) is depicted on his triumphal arch
as sacrificing to Isis. The Roman emperors Septimus Sevirus and Caracalla, who
ruled jointly from 198 to 211 CE, were devotees of Sarapis. Caracalla appeared
on his coins as "Sarapis Cosmocrator." He called himself
"Philosarapis" (lover of Sarapis).

The cults of the mystery religions were influenced uniformly
by the ideas of the Greek philosophers. A few of them existed before the turn
of the Era, but several more appeared at about the turn of the Era. They
reached their height of popularity during the times of early Christianity.
Christianity was born during a period of proliferation. Christianity itself in
the beginning consisted of many cults that existed independently and had very
diverse doctrines. Because of such diversity, it is debatable whether
Gnosticism was just another cult of Christianity or whether it was a separate
religion.

The following features were common to all mystery religions.
Admission to the community was by a rite of initiation, a solemn consecration.
The initiation was held in secret, which explains why they were called
"mysteries." The consecrated were joined by this mystery and were
separated from the unconsecrated world, just as Christians set themselves apart
from the world. (John 15:19) ... you are not of the world, but I have
chosen you out of the world ... (KJV)

Plato indicated that the members of the mystery communities
considered each other brothers:

"Dion attached to himself two brothers ... men
whose friendship was not derived from philosophy, but from ... mutual
entertaining and sharing in religion and mystic ceremonies."

The mystery followers were bound by an oath to keep the
mysteries secret. The actual initiation was preceded by numerous rites of
purification such as fasting, baptism, and confession. The Christian theologian
Tertullian (ca. 155-220 CE) wrote, "In certain mysteries, e.g. Isis and
Mithra, it is by baptism [Latin: per lavarum] that members are initiated
..." Clement of Alexandria (ca. 150-211 or 215 CE) wrote, "...
in the current Mysteries among the Greeks ceremonial purifications hold the
premier place."

The mystery religions practiced baptism before Christianity.
The second century Christian apologist Justin Martyr did not want to admit that
the Christians copied the pagans. He explained the pagan origin of baptism by
claiming that the demons learned about baptism from Isaiah and taught it to the
pagans: "... the demons prompted those [the pagans] who enter
their temples ... to sprinkle themselves also with water; furthermore, they
cause them to wash their whole persons."

Plutarch mentions the confession of sins by mystery
initiates during the ritual of initiation. "When Antalcidas was being
initiated into the mysteries at Samothrace, he was asked by the priest [to
confess] what especially dreadful thing he had done during his life
..." John the Baptist preached confession of sins before baptism:
(Mark 1:4-5) John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land
of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of
Jordan, confessing their sins. (KJV) Confession of sins was a common practice
among the early Christians: (James 5:16) Confess your faults one to another,
and pray one for another, that you may be healed. (KJV) (1 John 1:9) If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (KJV)

After the preliminaries, there followed the delivery of the
sacred symbol or signal. (Christians, too, used symbols, such as the fish and
the anchor.) The initiation culminated in the vision of the deity, in which the
appearance of light played an important part. During the ceremony of initiation
at the greater mysteries of Eleusis, the initiate would see a bright light and
would receive the revelation of the mysteries. Similarly, Paul saw a bright
light on the road to Damascus. He had a vision of a deity: Jesus. He received
the gospel of Jesus by revelation. (Ephesians 3:3) ... how the mystery was made
known to me by revelation ... (RSV) Thus, Paul was initiated to the mysteries
of Christ.

With this vision the initiate of the mystery religions
attained union with the deity and thus was endowed with eternal life. (Likewise,
after Paul saw the vision of Jesus, he attained union with him and was endowed
with eternal life.) Another symbolic rite was the vesting of the robe of the
deity. By putting on the robe, the initiate "put on the deity."
Likewise, Paul "put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27) For as many of you
as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (KJV) The mystery
initiates after their initiation adopted a new name. Likewise, when Saul
accepted Jesus he adopted a new name: Paul. Also, Simon (a Jewish name) took
the name Peter (a Greek name). (Mark 3:16) And Simon he surnamed Peter. (KJV)
Revelation states that all believers will receive new names. (Revelation 2:17)
To him that overcomesI will give ... a new name ... (KJV)

Initially, salvation from Hell through the Zoroastrian
messiah was introduced by the Zoroastrians. This idea slightly modified was
adopted by the mystery religions during the turn of the Common Era. The promise
of salvation from the cycle of reincarnation and the escape to a heavenly world
was the main characteristic of all the mystery religions. Only the soul that
had lived a pious life three times could be liberated from that cycle. These
religions emphasized individual salvation (an idea emphasized in Christianity).
Christianity adopted salvation from Hell, not from the cycle of reincarnation.

Within the mystery communities the class distinctions of the
secular world, such as differences in nationality, race, or economic and social
position, were null and void. Free men and slaves, the important and the
insignificant, all were brethren within the community. The early Christians
adopted this practice. (Galatians 3:28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there
is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are
all one in Christ Jesus. (KJV) Except for Mithraism (which was a man's
religion), the women of the mystery religions associated freely with men.

There is a distinct difference between the words
"secret" and "mystery." A secret is usually knowledge that
is hidden. A mystery is a truth that can be understood only by revelation from
God. The mystery is more like an enigma, a riddle, or a puzzle. The words
"secret" and "secrets," which appear in all the books of
the Old Testament (except in Daniel), refer to lack of knowledge, not to lack
of understanding. Daniel was completed during the Hellenistic era, when
mysteries were popular. In Daniel God gave a dream to Nebuchadnezzar that
included a mystery, whose explanation was revealed to Daniel by God.

The word "mystery" (Gr. mystirion) is a key word
in Christianity. It appears in the New Testament 22 times in the singular and 5
times in the plural. The following verses indicate that Christianity was
established as a mystery religion. (1 Timothy 3:16) Without any doubt, the
mystery of our religion is great. (NRSV) (1 Timothy 3:9) they [the deacons]
must hold fast to the mystery of the faith ... (NRSV) (Luke 8:10) The
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. (KJV) (Ephesians 3:9) ... the mystery,
which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God ... (KJV)
(Ephesians 5:32) This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to
Christ and the church. (NASB) (Colossians 4:3) ... so that we may speak forth
the mystery of Christ ... (NASB) Hellenistic Christianity was "the mystery
of Christ," like "the mystery of Dionysus" or "the mystery
of Isis." More than once Paul mentions "the mystery of Christ."
(Ephesians 3:4) When you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery
of Christ. (RSV) In the following verse Paul makes it clear that Christianity
is a mystery religion. (1 Corinthians 4:1) This is how one should regard us, as
servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. (RSV) Paul wrote that
resurrection was a mystery. (1 Corinthians 15:51) Lo! I tell you a mystery.
(KJV) His gospel was a mystery. (Ephesians 6:19) ... that I may open my mouth
boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel ... (KJV) (Colossians 1:26) the
mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints
[the Hellenist Christians]. (KJV) (1 Corinthians 2:7) But we speak the wisdom
of God in a mystery. (KJV) (Ephesians 1:9) Having made known to us the
mystery ... (KJV)

In accordance to Paul, the Christian church father Clement
of Alexandria invited pagans to be initiated in the mysteries of Christianity.
He wrote, "Then you will have the vision of my God, and will be
initiated in those holy mysteries, and will taste the joys that are hidden away
in heaven ..." He describes Christianity as "sacred
mysteries." He talks about initiation and Jesus marking the initiates with
his seal. "O Truly sacred mysteries! O pure light! In the blaze of
torches I have a vision of heaven and of God. I become holy by initiation. The
Lord [Jesus] reveals the mysteries; he marks the worshipper with his
seal ..." The Dionysians were marked with the seal of Dionysus, the
sign of ivy leaf.

Ignatius of Antioch, (died ca. 110), bishop of Antioch,
Syria, in his letter to the Ephesians wrote, "... you are ...
fellow-initiates with [apostle] Paul ..."

The mystery religions did not promise their believers a
universal resurrection. The belief that the dead will rise and will live on
this planet with their god is almost unique to Judeo-Christianity.

The mystery followers believed in reincarnation. When a
wicked person dies his or her soul leaves the body and goes to the underworld
to be punished and purified. After that, it returns to the world and enters the
body of a newborn animal or human. On the other hand, when a truly righteous
person dies his or her soul leaves the body and joins the eternal company of
his or her god. As we mentioned elsewhere in this book, the doctrine of
reincarnation found its way into the Wisdom of Solomon and into the Gospel of
John.

Judaism was unpopular because it promised rewards only to
the Jews. But the gods of the mystery religions were popular because they
offered salvation from sin and the promise of eternal life to everyone
regardless of their nationality. So did Christianity. (Romans 10:12) For there
is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is
rich to all that call upon him. (KJV)

The gods of the mystery religions died and rose. So did the
god of Christianity. The mystery initiates secured immortality for themselves
by physically reenacting the death and resurrection of their god. Paul wrote
that the Christian initiates symbolically die and rise with Jesus. (Romans 6:3,
5-6, 8) ... so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
his death? For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death,
we will be also in the likeness of his resurrection. ... our old man is
crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed ... if we are
dead with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (KJV)

Several mystery religions (such as the religion of Isis,
Sarapis, Mithra, and various Gnostic sects ) originated in Egypt, Syria, and
Persia. They emphasized personal salvation. They promised to bridge the gap
between man and god, so that man would be elevated to the rank of deity. Thus,
an initiate would become sinless like his god. Paul wrote (Romans 8:29) ... to
become conformed to the image of his son [Jesus]. (NASB)

In contrast to the Old Testament, which pointed out the gap
between God and humankind, those religions promised their believers union with
the gods. So did Christianity. (Galatians 2:20) It is no longer I that lives,
but Christ lives in me. (KJV) After his death the mystery initiate would
live in the presence of his god. Plato wrote, "... whoever goes
uninitiated and unsanctified to the other world will lie in the mire, but he
who arrives there initiated and purified will dwell with the gods."
Likewise, for Christian believers. In the other world they will dwell with God.
(Revelation 21:3) ... He [God] will dwell among them, and they will
be His people, and God himself will be among them ... (NASB) (2
Corinthians 5:8) I ... prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at
home [in the other world] with the Lord. (NASB)

In the mystery religions this personal relationship with the
deity was also attained by the initiate through a sacred meal.The
initiate ate "holy food," and it was as though he ate the deity and
thereby became a deity. The chief ritual in the mysteries of Dionysus, Attis,
Isis, Mithra, and Orphism was this sacred meal. The meal was shared "in
association."

The Qumran Essenes (many of whom joined the Jewish
Christians, the original followers of Jesus imitated the pagan associations and
their sacred meals in common. They centered many of their meetings around their
meals. The early Christian called these meals "agape meals" or
"feasts of charity." (Jude 1:12) ... in your feasts of charity, when
they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear. (KJV) The following meals
are probably agape meals. (Acts 6:1-2) ... their widows were being overlooked
in the daily serving of food. ... It is not desirable to neglect the word of
God in order to serve the [meal] tables. (NASB)

The rest of the Jews, too, were influenced by the Greeks.
They adopted sacred meals, which are mentioned in the Mishnah (Berakot 8).
Their meals included hand washing, lighting lamps, blessing and breaking of the
bread and blessing a cup of wine. However, the bread and wine of the Jewish
meals did not symbolize the body and the blood of their god. Likewise, the last
supper mentioned in Mark 14:22-24 was a common Jewish sacred meal.

As mentioned earlier, the gods of the mystery religions,
such as Osiris, Adonis, Attis, and Zagreus-Dionysus, had died and were
resurrected. The idea of a god dying and rising is much older than
Christianity. It existed among the Canaanites several centuries before the
Hellenistic era. The Canaanites believed that their god Baal (son of the god
Dagon)] was being murdered each spring by Mot and coming to life in
the Fall.

Here is an interesting version of the myth of Baal, which
contains parallels to the passion of Jesus. The Babylonian-Canaanite god Baal
(also known in the Hellenistic era as Bel or Marduk) died and rose again.
In the Ugaritic text The Baal Epic there is a passage where Baal fell
under the power of Mot (death), so he died. The goddess Anath found him, buried
him, and mourned him. Anath seized Mot, who personified death, and destroyed
him. Because of her victory over death, Baal revived and returned to his
throne.

According to another version, Baal was arrested (like
Jesus). He was sentenced, chastised, and was sent away to die with a criminal
(Jesus was crucified with two robbers), while another criminal was freed
(Barabbas was freed in place of Jesus). According to this version, a woman
cleansed away the blood that was oozing from the heart of Baal , which had
apparently been pierced by a spear or a javelin. Afterward, Baal was found in a
mountain, where he was being watched over. The goddess Anath prepared a nest
for him and cared for him. (Women went to the grave of Jesus to care for his
body.) Finally, Baal, or Bel-Marduk, came back alive and well from the
mountain. Such myths circulated before the birth of Christianity.

Christianity Identified as a Mystery Religion

The following quotation reveals how similar Christianity was
to the Greek mystery religions. Justin Martyr wrote, "When we say that
God created and arranged all things in this world, we seem to repeat the
teaching of Plato; when we announce a final conflagration [of the world], we
utter the doctrine of the Stoics; and when we assert that the souls of the wicked
... after death, will be ... punished, and that the souls of the good ... will
live happily, we believe the same things as your poets and philosophers ...
When ... we assert that the Word, our ... Jesus Christ, who is the
first-begotten of God the Father, was not born as the result of sexual
relations, and that He was crucified, died, arose from the dead, and ascended
into Heaven, we propose nothing new or different from that which you say about
the so-called sons of Jupiter." Justin wrote these lines to win pagans
to Christianity. He tried to tell them that Christian beliefs were not much
different from their pagan beliefs. The Greek mystery religions preceded
Christianity.

In the following passage Porphyry accuses Origen for copying
from the Stoics the figurative interpretation, which was the interpretation
also used by the Greek mystery religions. "... He [Origen] used
the books of Chaeremon the Stoic and Cornutus, from whom he learned the
figurative interpretation, as employed in the Greek mysteries ..."
The Greek mystery religions used allegorical interpretation before
Christianity.

Some pagans laughed at the Hellenist Christians for adopting
the ideas of Plato and the mystery religions. Tertullian wrote, "... we
are laughed at for proclaiming that God will judge, for just so the poets and
philosophers set up a tribunal in the world below." Further on
in this passage Tertullian mentions the river Pyriphlegethon, originally
mentioned by Plato. He acknowledges the striking similarities between the pagan
descriptions of eternal life and the corresponding descriptions in the New
Testament. Twice he refers to Christianity as "our mysteries." He
claims that the religious ideas of Christianity are older that their pagan
parallels. He falsely accuses the Greek philosophers and poets for borrowing
from Christianity.. "Now whence, I ask you, do the philosophers and
poets find things so similar? Whence indeed, unless it be from our mysteries [Christianity].
And if from our mysteries which are the older, then ours are truer and more
credible when the mere copies of them [your mysteries] win credence. If
they invented these things out of their feelings, then our mysteries must be
counted copies of what came later, a thing contrary to nature. For the shadow
never exists before the body, nor the copy before the truth."

Justin Martyr and Tertullian claimed that the
similarities between Mithraism and Christianity were due to Mithraism's demonic
imitation of Christianity. They denied that it was Christianity who imitated
the mystery religions. Clement of Alexandria suggested that Christianity
was indeed the mystery religion with "truly sacred mysteries." These
mysteries offer the pure light and vision of the only true God. The pagan
mysteries he called shameless and corrupt.

Celsus, considered Christianity as one of the mystery
religions. In his discussion of Christianity, he mentions "the other
mysteries," that is, the mystery religions besides Christianity. Referring to Christianity Origen wrote "... we call them our
mysteries."

Christianity was essentially one of the mystery religions of
the first century. Clement of Alexandria claimed it was the best, and rightly
so because it managed to wipe out its competitors and forerunners.

The Eleusinians

More than five centuries before the arrival of Christianity,
at Eleusis (a small town outside Athens) the people established the Eleusinian
mysteries.There they reenacted the myth of Demeter's search and her reunion
with her daughter Persephone. Every year two Eleusinian ceremonies were held:
the Greater mysteries, in honor of Demeter and Kori, and the Lesser mysteries,
in honor of Kori alone.

The Lesser mysteries were a preparation for the Greater
ones. They were performed at Agrae on the river Ilissus (outside Athens) in the
month of Anthesterion (February-March). Because of the oaths for secrecy we
have sparse testimony of what exactly took place in the initiation ceremony.
Something was recited, something was revealed, and acts were performed. Also,
the initiates took an oath of secrecy before preparing for the Greater
mysteries. The penalty for revealing the mysteries to outsiders was death. The
initiates of the Lesser mysteries waited at least one year until they could
participate in the Greater mysteries, which were held at Eleusis in the month
of Boedromion (September-October). The Greater mysteries included baptism in
the sea, three days of fasting, and the completion of the mysterious central
rite. These acts completed the initiation, and the initiate was promised
rewards in the life after death.

At first, the Eleusinian mysteries were restricted to the
citizens of Eleusis and Athens. But during the Hellenistic era (which began at
about 331 BCE) they became open to non-Greeks. In the 2nd century BCE they
spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean. The Greek historian Diodorus of
Sicily (1st century BCE) wrote, "... the mysteries of Eleusis, ... by
reason of their very great antiquity and sanctity, have come to be famous among
all mankind." They survived until the end of paganism (sometime around
the end of the 4th century CE). Many prominent Romans, including Sulla,
Anthony, Cicero, and Atticus, were initiated in the Eleusinian mysteries.

As mentioned earlier, the secret observances of the
Eleusinian rituals included things recited, things shown, and things performed.
According to Hippolytus (ca. 170-235 CE), a leader of the Roman Church, in
certain Eleusinian mystery rites among the things shown to the initiates was a
single head of grain. This grain was beheld in silence as a manifestation of
the life in it, which symbolized the life in all. Paul compared the mystery of
death and resurrection to the planting and the sprouting of a seed. (1
Corinthians 15:36-37) What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And
what you sow is not the body which is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of
wheat or of some other grain. (RSV) (John 12:24) ... unless a grain of wheat
falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much
fruit. (NASB)

The Eleusinian initiates were crowned with wreaths.
Likewise, the twenty-four elders in Heaven have crowns of gold. (Revelation
4:4) ... [they] had on their heads crowns of gold. (KJV)

The writers of the New Testament did not only borrow ideas
and themes from the Eleusinians but they also used the Eleusinian lingo. (2
Peter 1:16) ... but were eyewitnesses of his majesty ... (KJV) The word
"eyewitnesses" in the Greek text is "epoptae."
"Epoptes"(singular) was a key term in the Eleusinian mysteries. On a
visit to the Greater mysteries the initiate reached the grade of
"epoptes," that is, "one who has seen." After that, being
endowed with "good hope," he looked to a brighter future in the next
world. The mystery religions used such expressions as "the assembly (ekklesia),"
"the voyage of life," "the ship," "the anchor,"
"the port," "the wreath" of the initiate, etc. The
Christians adopted most of such terminology.

To avoid the place of punishment after death and go to the
better world, the Eleusinian initiates (also the Dionysians and the Orphics)
wore white garments,avoided sex indulgence, and practiced
asceticism. The white garments were not common in pre-exilic Judaism.

The Essenes were known to wear white garments, emphasize
celibacy, and live an ascetic life style. During the Hellenistic era white
garments were the "blue jeans" of the righteous. They were popular in
the New Testament. During his transfiguration Jesus' clothes became "as
white as the light." According to Revelation, the elders in Heaven wear white
garments.

During the initiation ceremony at the Eleusinian mysteries
in the dark room of initiation the priest would produce a crown of light with
tongues of fire around his head. First they shaved the head of the priest and
covered it with a protective ointment. Then, they attached to the top of his
head a circular metal container with alcohol, which was set aflame in the dark
and would shine for a brief time. The crown of flame on the head of the priest
was like a tongue of fire. This imagery was borrowed by the writer of Acts.
(Acts 2:3) They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came
to rest on [the head of] each of them. (NIV)

A short history of Baptism: From the Eleusinians to Christianity

Long before Christianity the Eleusinians instituted the
ritual of baptism as part of initiation into the mystery. The initiates were
required to undergo a preparatory purification;they marched in a
procession to the sea and washed their sins away by baptism. The Roman
historian Livy (64/59 BCE to 17 CE) mentions that ceremonial washing preceded
initiation into the mysteries of Dionysus.Through baptism theysecured glorious immortality in the afterlife. Their message was "new
life grows out of every grave."

For the Eleusinians being born again and securing
forgiveness of sins by submersion in water was a mystery. Baptism symbolized
the purification of the soul. Tertullian wrote, "... in the
Apollinarian and Eleusinian rites they are baptized, and they imagine that the
result of this baptism is rebirth and the remission of the penalties of sins
..."

The mystery religion ritual of baptism was adopted first by
the Essenes and then by the Christians. The Essenes borrowed the ritual of
baptizing either from the Eleusinians or the Pythagoreans. During their
initiation they made a covenant with God, which included baptizing and
repentance. The Manual of Discipline (a.k.a. Rule of the Community) required
sincere repentance before baptism and entering the covenant. (1QS 5:13-14) "Those
[candidates] will not enter into the water [of baptism] ... for they are
not purified except they repent from their wickedness." The Manual
describes the procedure of entering the covenant. (1QS 3:8-9, 12 ) "...
through the submission of his soul to all God's ordinances ... he may purify
himself with the water-for-impurity and sanctify himself with rippling water
... this will become for him a covenant of eternal Communion [with God]."

Ritual purification with water was part of early Judaism.
For the most part it involved ceremonially washing the hands, while in a few
instances it required washing the whole body. It was done to remove uncleanness
after touching something unclean, such as a corpse. There are distinct
differences between the Hebrew rituals and the Essene rituals of baptism. The
Hebrews washed their bodies whereas the Essenes practiced total immersion. The
Damascus Document forbade baptism in bodies of water insufficient for
immersion. The Hebrews did not perform such ritual for those who entered
Judaism whereas the Essenes did. Sometime during the first century CE proselyte
baptism was introduce to Judaism.

The Essenes and John the Baptist practiced baptism before
the early Christians. John was in many ways was an Essene.He lived
like the Essenes of Qumran and preached similarly. Mark indicates that he did
not baptize "in the name of Jesus Christ." John was not a Christian,
yet Mark implies that the sins of his converts were forgiven. (Mark 1:4) John
did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the
remission [forgiveness] of sins. (KJV) Josephus, too, wrote that John the
Baptist urged the Jews to baptize for the remission of sins and the
purification of the soul. Baptism for the forgiveness of sins was an established
practice before Jesus. The early Christians borrowed baptism from John the
Baptist.

Like the mystery followers, early Christians conducted
baptizing at the time of initiation. Peter ordered baptizing as soon as they
repented. (Acts 2:38) Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins ...
(KJV)

Christianity was a continuation of pre-existing beliefs. As
we will further examine, it was created by the fusion of Judaic and Greek
beliefs. Such syncretism was common during that era. Religions were put
together using elements of other religions. All mystery religions shared common
beliefs. People were not offended by such inter-borrowing. The mystery
religions were not competing with one another. They got along harmoniously.
People belonged to several mystery religions simultaneously. Only Christianity
prohibited its converts from belonging to other religions. This was not a
problem in the beginning. However, when Christians grew in numbers (in the
second century CE) the other religions became offended by Christianity's
competitiveness and its lack of sharing. As a result, they started persecuting
the Christians.

The Dionysians

Related to the Eleusinian mysteries were the cults of
Dionysus (the Greek god of fertility) and the Orphics. In the Dionysiac mystery
the initiates would go into a temporary sacred madness and their soul would
wing its way to unite with the god Dionysus. The soul would be "with
god" or "in god." The initiates became "enqeoi " (enthei), that is, they dwelled
"in god." The idea of dwelling "in god" appears in John's
letter. (1 John 4:15) Whosoever will confess that Jesus is the Son of
God, God dwells in him, and he in God. (KJV) Paul often used the expression
"in Christ." (Galatians 3:28) for you are all one in Christ
Jesus. (KJV) (Romans 16:7) ... my fellow prisoners ... who also were in Christ
before me. (KJV) (2 Corinthians 5:17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature. (KJV) "In Christ" is equivalent to "dwell in
Christ." It reflects the Mystic Union or the Mystic Communion, which was
practiced in the mystery religions of that period.

Plato wrote that during the initiation, the initiates "search
eagerly within themselves to find the nature of their god, they are successful,
because they have been compelled to keep their eyes fixed upon the god ... they
are inspired and receive from him character and habits, so far as it is
possible for a man to have part in God." The mystery initiates
believed that through the secret rituals they would gain secret knowledgeand
thus accomplish a mysticalunion with the divine.This idea is clearly reflected
in the following verses. (John 6:56) Whosoever eats my flesh and drinks my
blood remains in me, and I in him. (NIV) This is not something that the
historical Jesus would have said. Even in a symbolic way, this statement is
contrary to the law of Moses, which Jesus upheld.

Uniting with God was also an idea shared by the Stoics of
that era. Seneca (ca. 4 BCE to 65 CE) wrote, "God is near you, he is
with you, he is within you." Paul wrote (Colossians 1:27) ... Christ
in you ... (KJV)

Here is a parallel between the mysteries of Dionysus and
Christianity. The account where God miraculously loosened the fetters of Paul
and Silas and opened the doors of their prison resembles an episode of
Euripides' play Bacchae where Dionysus miraculously freed his followers (the
Bacchae) by undoing their fetters and opening the doors of their prison:

"The captured Bacchae you [Pentheus] did put in ward, and in common prison
bind with chains, they have fled to the meadows, loosed from bonds ... the
fetters from their feet self-separated fell; doors, without mortal hand
unbarred themselves. Yes, loaded with many miracles this man [Dionysus]
..."

(Acts 16:26) And suddenly there was a great
earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and
immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
(KJV)

Even the places of worship were similar. The Dionysians
worshipped in caverns. Early Roman Christians worshipped in catacombs,
subterranean cemeteries.

The idea of God placing seals on the bodies of his followers
did not come from the Old Testament. Yet it appears in the New Testament. It
came from the Greek mystery religions. At the time of Antiochus the followers
of Dionysus carried the seal of Dionysus on their bodies.

The seal of Dionysus

(3 Maccabees 2:29) those who are registered are also to be
branded on their bodies by fire with the ivy-leaf symbol of Dionysus ...
(RSV)

The seal of God

(Revelation 9:4) ... those men which have not the seal of
God in their foreheads. (KJV) (John 6:27) ... on Him the Father, God, has set
His seal. (NASB) (2 Corinthians 1:21-22) But it is God who ... has put his
seal upon us ... (RSV)

(Psalms of Solomon 15:6) "For God's seal is on the
righteous for their salvation." This book was influenced by the Greek
culture. It was revered by the early Church.

The transfer of the Dionysian beliefs into Christianity was
accomplished partly by Philo and the Alexandrian Jews who joined Christianity,
partly by the Essenes, and partly by those who before joining Christianity
worshipped Dionysus. As we will see further on, the religion of Dionysus was
popular in Palestine before the advent of Christianity. Justin Martyr wrote,
"... we [Christians] who, from every nation, once worshipped
Bacchus [the Roman name for Dionysus], the son of Semele, and Apollo ...
and Proserpine [Persephone] and Venus [Aphrodite] (... whose
mysteries you also celebrate), and Aesculapius [or Asclepius], or any
one of the other so-called gods, now, through Jesus Christ, even under the
threat of death, [we] hold these [gods] in contempt ..."

The Orphics

The Orphics worshipped the infant god Zagreus-Dionysus, the
son of Zeus from a mortal woman named Semele. Hera, the wife of Zeus, being
jealous of her husband's infidelity, sent the Titans to slaughter and cut to
pieces the newborn Dionysus. In one version of the myth the goddess Rhea
gathered the limbs of the infant and Dionysus was resurrected. The Orphics
commemorated with yearly rites the passion and resurrection of Dionysus, the
son of God. Christians, too, have been commemorating every Easter the passion
and resurrection of their god Jesus.

The Orphics (and the Dionysians) practiced the mystery of
communion long before Jesus. They had sacramental communion with their god,
Zagreus-Dionysus, who had suffered, died, and arose. Justin Martyr reported
that they used wine and bread in their communion: "For when they say
Dionysus was born of Zeus' union with Semele, and narrate ... that he was torn
to pieces and died, he arose again and ascended to heaven, and when they use
the wine in his mysteries, is it not evident that the Devil has imitated the
previously quoted prophecy ...?" Justin Martyr
acknowledged that the Dionysians were practicing communion before the
Christians, but, he explained, they did so because the Devil imitated an
ancient prophecy of the Old Testament.

Through the mystery of communion, the Orphics became one
with their god. The Christian communion is almost identical to the Orphic
ritual. (John 6:55-56) For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink.
Whosoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. (NIV)

The Orphics spread the idea that the world under the power
of evil and that the body is a burden and a bondage for the soul, whose destiny
is to escape this bondage and arrive at eternal and blessed life. They also
promoted the belief that man's efforts to win salvation were powerless without
divine assistance.This idea appears in the following verse of John. (John 6:44)
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. (NIV)

There are further parallels between the Orphics and the
Hellenist Christians. The Orphics believed that Dionysus, being born from the
divine Zeus and the mortal woman Semele, had a two-fold nature. Likewise,
Jesus had a two-fold nature, divine and human. Dionysus was persecuted and
murdered, yet was resurrected and became victorious. Jesus was persecuted,
murdered, and was victorious through his resurrection.

Late texts reflecting Orphic eschatology put an emphasis on
the role of Dionysus as king of the New Age. When Jesus returns he will be the
king of the New Age. Though a child, Dionysus was made to reign over all the
kings in the universe. Jesus is the king of kings.Dionysus was called
"Lord." Jesus, too, was called "Lord." (Acts 2:36) God has
made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. (NIV)

The Orphics abstained from meat. Their vegetarianism had a
deep religious justification. (They believed in reincarnation. They did not
want to eat their ancestors.) Plato wrote, "... their offerings to the
gods consisted not of animals but of cakes of meal and grain ... and other such
bloodless sacrifices, and from flesh they abstained as though it were unholy to
eat it ... those ... men ... lived what is called an 'Orphic life,' keeping
wholly to inanimate food and ... abstaining wholly from things
animate." By refusing to eat meat the Orphics (and the
Pythagoreans) abstained from blood sacrifices, which were obligatory in the
official cult of the Greeks. (In this they differed from the Dionysians, who
conducted public sacrifices.) With this refusal, the Orphics expressed their
decision to detach themselves from the city (set themselves apart) and renounce
the world. They proclaimed their rejection of the Greek religious system.
Likewise, the Hellenist Christians abstained from the Judaic blood sacrifices
and renounced the world. (John 15:19) ... you are not of the world, but
I have chosen you out of the world ... (KJV)

Orpheus (from whom the Orphics received their name) and
Dionysus went to Hades and returned. Jesus did likewise. Plato wrote, "Orpheus
... they sent back ... from Hades." The 1st century BCE Greek
historian Diodorus of Sicily wrote "... he [Orpheus] dared the
amazing deed of descending into Hades, where he entranced Persephone ... and
persuaded her ... to allow him to bring up his dead wife from Hades, in this
act resembling Dionysus; for the myths relate that Dionysus brought up his
mother Semele from Hades." (Several demigods and heroes, like
Pollux, Theseus, and Hercules, went down to Hades and came back. Jesus' story
was modeled after them.)

The Belief of Praying for the Dead

The belief of praying for the dead is mentioned in the 12th
chapter of 2 Maccabees (written sometime around 104 to 63 BCE). As mentioned
earlier, this passage describes a number of Jewish soldiers who supposedly had
committed a mysterious sin, and who were killed. After their death Judas
Maccabeus ordered prayers on their behalf for their salvation. Inspired
by the verses of 2 Maccabees, the Catholics believe that sins can be forgiven
after death and that the prayers of the living are an effective way to
accomplish this.

The idea of saving people "on the other side"
originated in the mystery religion of the Orphics. Orphism exerted influence on
the Hellenistic culture of the eastern Mediterranean long before Christianity.
Although it was at its low point during the inception of Christianity, Orphism
goes back to the 6th century BCE.

In The Republic, Plato mentions the Orphic doctrine
of expiating the sins of the dead. He wrote, "...that they by means of
sacrifices and incantations have accumulated ... power ... that can expiate and
cure with pleasurable festivals any misdeed of a man or his ancestors ... they
produce a bushel of books by Musaeus and Orpheus ... and these books they use
in their ritual, and make not only ordinary men but states believe that there
are really remissions of sins and purifications for deeds of injustice by means
of sacrifice and pleasant sport for the living, and that there are also special
rites for the dead, which they call functions, that deliver us from evils in
that other world ..." "... the rites for the dead have much
efficacy ..."

Diodorus of Sicily, while traveling in Egypt around 60 BCE,
was struck by the following funerary customs that depict praying for the dead.
As soon as the casket was placed on a floating bark, the survivors called upon
the infernal gods and beseeched them to receive the soul of the deceased to the
place reserved for pious men. The rest of the funeral crowd added its own
cheers to the pleas of the survivors so that the deceased would be allowed to
enjoy eternal life in Hades, in the society of the righteous.

The Mysteries of Isis and Osiris

The religion of Isis had its roots in the Egyptian religion
of Osiris, which existed more than 2300 years BCE. According to the Pyramid
Texts (ca. 2350-2100 BCE), Isis mourned for her murdered husband, the god
Osiris. Osiris was a central deity of ancient Egypt. He was the god of the dead
and the underworld. With his sister-wife, Isis, and their son, Horus, he formed
the great Trinity of Abydos. During the Hellenistic era Egypt fell under the
rule of the Greek kings, the Ptolemies, the successors of Alexander. To unite
the Greeks with the Egyptians the Ptolemies promoted the syncretism of Greek
and Egyptian religions. Consequently, the Egyptian religion of Osiris was fused
with the Greek mystery religions. The result of this syncretism was the mystery
religion of Isis and Osiris (better known as the mysteries of Isis).

Frank C. Babbit wrote, "That the worship of Isis had
been introduced to Greece before 330 BC is certain from an inscription found in
the Peiraeus [the port of Athens], in which the merchants of Citium ask
permission to found a shrine of Aphrodite on the same terms as those on which
the Egyptians founded a shrine of Isis [in Peiraeus]. ... In Plutarch's
own town [Chaeronea, Boeotia] ... have been found two dedications to
Serapis, Isis, and Anubis ..." The mysteries of Isis were established
before the Christian era and became widespread around the Mediterranean during
the first century CE. Josephus mentions that there was a temple of Isis in Rome
at the time of Pilate. In another account he mentions that Caesar Tiberius
(reigned 14-37 CE) destroyed the temple of Isis and threw Isis's statue into
the river Tiber to punish the priests of Isis for something wrong they had
done. The fact that at about the time of the fall of Jerusalem (70 CE) Isis
appeared on Greek and Roman coins signifies that this religion was widespread.
Isis became identified with the Greek goddess Artemis. When Paul preached in
Ephesus she was popular there. According to Acts, the Ephesian craftsmen who
made miniature temples of Artemis-Isis started a riot against Paul because
Paul's preaching was detrimental to their business.

During the formative years of Christianity the mysteries of
Isis drew converts from every corner of the Roman empire. Her priests were
dedicated missionaries, like soldiers crusading for her "hallowed
name.""Isiswas tender hearted" as a mother. "The
friendof slaves and sinners ... and the downtrodden." She was
a savior goddess, like Jesus.

Here is a miracle shared by Christianity and the mystery
religion of Sarapis. The historian Tacitus mentions that while Vespasian, the
Roman emperor (69-79 CE), was in Alexandria he was called to perform a miracle
in the name of Sarapis. He was given secret instructions by the local medical
experts to make a blind man see by moistening the blind man's cheeks and eyes
with his spittle. Vespasian did as he was told and won a reputation as a
wonder-worker. At about the time of Vespasian Mark wrote the following. (Mark
8:23) ... when ... [Jesus] had spit on his eyes, and put his hand upon him, he
asked him if he saw [anything]. (KJV) Using spittle to perform miracles was a
common technique of the current magicians. Because Jesus used this technique
the Jews accused him of being a magician. Tertullian wrote, "confronted
by his power, they [the Jews] counted him a magician." Justin
Martyr wrote, "Yet, though they [the Jews] witnessed these
miraculous deeds with their own eyes, they attributed them to magical art;
indeed, they dared to call him a magician."

Osiris (during the Hellenistic era was identified with
Sarapis) was the god and king of the underworld while his posthumous son Horus
was the god and king of the living. Osiris mummified represented resurrection
into eternal life. His body was customarily wrapped in white funeral clothes.
(As mentioned earlier, in the New Testament white clothes are the clothes of
the righteous.) The only complete account of the Osiris myth occurs in
Plutarch's Moralia: Isis and Osiris. Egyptian fragments support much of
Plutarch's version.

The wicked god Seth-Typhon managed to kill his brother, the
good god Osiris, and put his body in a coffin. He threw the coffin into the
river Nile. The coffin floated all the way to the Phoenician city of Byblos.
Isis, the wife of Osiris, searched for her dead husband, found the coffin, and
brought it back to Egypt. However, Seth managed to get his hands on the coffin
and cut Osiris' body into fourteen pieces, which he scattered. Isis found all
the pieces, put them together, and resurrected him. This story has motifs that
appear in the New Testament: the baptism, the death, and the resurrection of a
good god, and the evil god (the devil), who tried to destroy the good god.

Resurrection was the main theme of the religion of Isis.
"Born again" meant a mystical death that was followed by a spiritual
birth (much like the Christian idea of "born again"). The
Isiac followers believed in the symbolism of the seed that has to be buried and
has to die for a new plant to spring up with more seeds. Plutarch wrote that in
Egypt wooden boxes in the shape of Osiris were filled with earth and planted
with seed of corn. The boxes were placed in tombs. The sprouting corn in this
funerary context represented new life. (John 12:24) I tell you the truth,
unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single
seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (NIV)

The initiates of the mystery of Isis (a.k.a. mysteries of
Isis) were expected to confess their sins before their initiation. This was
commonly a part of the initiation ceremony. The candidates recounted at length
the misdeeds of their life (up to the time of their baptism) in front of a
community of devotees who listened to the confession. Then they were baptized.
They believed that the rite of baptism would wash away all initiate's confessed
sins. They believed that from then on his or her life would be changed for the
better because he had enrolled himself in the service of the savior goddess
Isis. Apuleius (born ca. 124 CE, died probably after 170 CE), in his book Metamorphoses,
wrote, "the act of initiation was performed in the manner of voluntary
death and salvation obtained by favor." (Ephesians 2:8) For by grace you
are saved through faith; [salvation] ... is the gift of God. (KJV)

The followers of Isis practiced 10-day fasting
and abstinence from sex. Plutarch wrote, that the initiates practiced
asceticism and abstinence from "lusts of flesh." Apuleius
wrote, "the abstinence required by the rules of chastity was quite
strenuous." Paul recommended abstinence from sex. (1 Corinthians
7:1, 9) It is good for a man not to touch a woman. But if they cannot contain,
let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. (KJV)

An interesting small statue found at Cyrene
(modern Shanhat, Libya) shows a female initiate of Isis. The bottom part of the
woman is wrapped like a mummy, but the upper part is free. The woman is wearing
the crown of Isis on her head. Thus, the statue portrays how an initiate during
the initiation would first die and then rise in triumph. Likewise, Paul died
through the law and rose through the death of Jesus. (Galatians 2:19-20) For I
through the law am dead to the law, that I might live to God I am
crucified with Christ. (KJV) He told the Colossians that they were buried and
risen with Jesus. (Colossians 2:12) Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you
are risen with him through ... faith ... (KJV)

Themes on Christian caskets, like the figure of the Good
Shepherd carrying his lost sheep, were taken over from pagan craftsmanship.
(The Phrygian god Attis and the Canaanite god Baal were shepherds.)

Plutarch, in his book On Isis and Osiris, wrote that
Horus (corresponding to Jesus), trying to avenge the death of his father Osiris
(corresponding to God, the Father of Jesus), pursued Seth (corresponding to
Satan). Seth escaped capture by turning himself into a crocodile (corresponding
to the dragon, or serpent, of Revelation). Plutarch wrote that Seth was the
enemy of Horus. (Satan was the enemy of Jesus.) He wrote that Seth was
"the power of darkness." In Colossians the "power of
darkness" is a term associated with Satan. (Colossians 1:13) Who [Jesus] has
delivered us from the power of darkness ... (KJV) Plutarch wrote that Seth
turned into a fire-red colored ("pyrrhos") crocodile. Diodorus, who
lived in the 1st century BCE, concurs that Seth/Typhon was red. A fire-red
dragon appears in Revelation. (Revelation 12:3, 9) And there appeared another
wonder in heaven; and behold a great [fire] red [Gr. pyrrhos ] dragon ... And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan
... (KJV) In the 12th chapter of Revelation the pregnant woman is fleeing to
the desert to escape this fire-red dragon. (Revelation 12:4, 6) ... the dragon
stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child
as soon as it was born. And the woman fled into the wilderness ... (KJV) These
verses may have been inspired by the Alexandrian tradition of the pregnant Isis
fleeing into the marshes of the delta to escape Seth. In Revelation the woman
was given two wings of a great eagle so she could escape to the desert from the
dragon. (Revelation 12:14) And to the woman was given two wings of a
great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness ... from the face of the
serpent. (KJV) Isis is known to have two great falcon wings with
which she blew air into the nostrils of Osiris and resurrected him. Plutarch
wrote that Typhon (Seth) is the lord of the storm, who spits, roars in the sky,
and is associated with the desert. The woman in Revelation escaped to the
desert, and the dragon spit a river of water. (Revelation 12:15) Then from his
mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep
her away with the torrent. (NIV) The Greek text reads: to make her
"potamophoreton." The word "potamophoretos" was a
well-known title of Isis.

It is believed that Revelation was written somewhere in Asia
Minor, either at Ephesus or the island of Patmos, which is across from Ephesus.
Ephesus was a major center for the religion of Isis-Artemis.

Here is another parallel between the mystery of Isis and
Revelation:

Isis

"In Sais the Statue of Athena, whom they believe
to be Isis, bore the inscription: 'I am all that has been, and is, and will
be ..."

God

(Revelation 1:8) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the ending, says the Lord, who is, and who was, and who
is to come ... (KJV)

The legend of Horus has inspired Christian iconography.
Saint George was associated with Horus. He was often depicted winning a fight
against a crocodile-like dragon. A work in the museum of Louvre known as Horus
St. George, possibly of the 4th century CE, depicts a man with the head of a
hawk (Horus was portrayed in Egyptian frescoes with the head of a hawk)
piercing with his spear a crocodile (Typhon-Seth) on whom his horse is
trampling.

The Gnostic Christians mingled Horus with Jesus by
blending several symbols of Christianity with the symbols of Isis and Horus. A
bas-relief on the wall of an early Egyptian church belonging to the Memmonium
at Abydos portrays Jesus sitting on a throne with the horned disc of Horus and
holding a staff or crook similar to that of Osiris.

The influence of Isis is found in non-biblical Christian
writings as well as in the New Testament. Paul's expression "I have
become all things to all men"is a slogan of the mystery religion of
Isis. Isis was known as "all things to all men."

The Mysteries of Attis

The Phrygian (Anatolian) god Attis was identified with
the Phoenician god Adonis. God Adonis died and was resurrected. Theocritus
(born ca. 300 BC, Syracuse, Sicily --died 260 BC) wrote about this in his play
the Idylls.

Attis was a very handsome shepherd (Jesus was portrayed as a
shepherd) with whom the goddess Cybele fell in love. Attis betrayed her and
entered into a love affair with a nymph. In her anger and jealousy Cybele
killed the nymph. This caused Attis to go insane and kill himself. Cybele, who
still loved Attis, mourned for him and resurrected him. This legend was handed
to us by a pagan, Firmicus Maternus, who became a Christian in the 4th century
CE.

The religion of Attis was first established in Phrygia, and
in 204 BCE the goddess Cybele was formally welcomed into Rome. After that, the
worship of the Great Mother became prominent in the Roman world. The worship of
the Great Mother Cybele in Rome, along with the worship of the goddess Isis
(the mother of Horus) in Rome, played a key role in inspiring the worship of
Mary (the mother of Jesus) by the Catholic Church of Rome.

According to the mysteries of Attis (as handed to us
by Firmicus Maternus), an initiate had to take part in the dying and rising of
the god Attis. He went to the sanctuary that was in a dark cavern. He was
symbolically slain and buried into the ground up to his neck. Then the
congregation of the cult sang songs of mourning over the victim while in the
dark. Suddenly, the cavern became illuminated by a bright light and the mystic
priest called in a low voice, "Rejoice mystai! Lo, our god appears as
saved! And we will find salvation, springing from our woes [pains]."
By this ritual, the initiate who was buried became the god Attis during his
initiation and, like Attis, the initiate symbolically suffered torments, was
slain, and rose again. Inscriptions found read: "en aeternum
renatus," that is, "he rose to eternal life." (Colossians 2:12)
Having been buried with him in baptism ... you were also raised up with him.
(NASB)(Galatians 2:20) I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not
I, but Christ lives in me. (KJV) (Romans 8:17) we suffer with him, that we may
be also glorified together [with him]. (KJV)

We know that this religion preceded Christianity, but we do
not know whether the above mentioned rite did also.

The Mysteries of Mithra

Mithraism had connections with Zoroastrianism, but its exact
origin is not certain. It involved the worship of the ancient Indo-Iranian god
of light, Mithra (or Mitra). Herodotus mentions Mitra as a god of the Persians.
The Persian god Mithra was the chief ally of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda.
However, the worship of Mithra west of Anatolia had few connections with
Zoroastrianism except for its emphasis on the eternal struggle between good and
evil (dualism).

Mithraism appeared in the eastern Mediterranean at about the
same time as Christianity. It did not become popular until after 100 CE when it
spread from Syria and Anatolia throughout the Roman empire, reaching into Gaul
and Britain. It became early Christianity's most serious rival.

So far, we do not have any historical facts that establish
Mithra's influence on Christianity. To some extent the common beliefs of the
two religions may have been the result of interborrowing. But it is important
to note that such beliefs existed before the establishment of either religion
and were widespread in the eastern Mediterranean. The study of Mithraism
confirms the widespread religious syncretism of the Roman era.

Mithraism was the official religion of Roman soldiers. They
acquired it during the 1st century BCE (before the time of Jesus) from the
Parthians during their campaigns in northeast Asia Minor. We do not know how
fast it spread in the beginning within the Roman army. It seems that it was
established at about the time of the fall of Jerusalem (70 CE). Josephus
recounted recounts the speech of Titus, the Roman general (the son of Emperor
Vespasian), during the siege of Jerusalem. In his exhortation to his soldiers
Titus spoke about life after death: "... the immortality of those men
who are slain in the midst of their martial bravery. ... those ... that ... die
in time of peace ... their souls are condemned to the grave, together with
their bodies. ... [on the other hand], those souls which are severed
from their fleshly bodies in battles by the sword ... are placed among the
stars."The belief that the soldiers who died in battle became immortal
while the civilians were all condemned to the grave was unique to Mithraism.

The mysteries of Mithra remained popular among the military
(Mithra personified such soldierly values as victory, courage, and loyalty) and
merchant classes. Women could not join Mithraism. By the 4th century it became
one of the most powerful religions of the Roman empire. Along with other
non-Christian sects, it suffered persecution by Christianity and was gradually
eliminated after Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the state religion.
(History shows that Christianity was established mainly by Emperor
Constantine's power, by destroying its competitors, and by securing the
monopoly of religion in the Byzantine Empire and subsequently in the West.)

The completion of seven levels of Mithraic initiation
conferred immortality. The ritual usually mimed death and resurrection. It was
usually held in caves. It began in darkness and ended with torch light. The
darkness and the torch light signified death and resurrection. In a certain
ritual the initiates were buried or shut inside a sarcophagus. In another
ritual the heart of a victim, supposedly a child, was roasted and distributed
among the participants for eating. This, again, is similar to the Christian
communion: eating the flesh of the god Jesus. The early second century
apologist of Christianity, Justin Martyr, claimed that the Mithraists copied
the Christians: "... Jesus ... took bread and, after giving thanks,
said: 'Do this in remembrance of me ... In like manner, he took the cup, gave
thanks, and said: 'This is my blood; ... The evil demons, in imitation of this,
ordered the same thing to be performed in the Mithraic mysteries. For as you
know ... bread and a cup of water, together with certain incantations, are used
in their mystic initiation rites." This quotation confirms
that sometime in the beginning of the second century communion was a widespread
ritual among the followers of Mithra.

The followers of Mithra believed that Mithra will descend
from Heaven to conduct the final battle against Ahriman and his forces. The
dead will rise from their graves and Mithra will judge them, separating the
good from the evil. Ohrmazd (the Father God of Mithra) will send down an
annihilating fire upon the evil, upon Ahriman, and upon his demons. An endless
reign of happiness and goodness will follow. These beliefs are similar to the
teachings of Revelation.

The greatest festival of the Roman mystery religion of Deus
Sol Invictus was held on December 25, at the time of the winter solstice. Also,
Mithra's birthday was on December 25. He was the god of light. After December
25 the length of each day begins to increase. Thus, December 25 was regarded as
the day of the rebirth of the god Sol (Sun) and of the renovation of life.
Hellenist Christians borrowed this date and declared it as Jesus' birthday.
(According to Luke, Jesus was born during a night of warm weather; probably not
in the middle of winter. The shepherds were out in the fields keeping watch
over their flock.)

In the mysteries of Mithra, bread and wine gave the
initiates strength and wisdom in this life, and a glorious immortality in the
afterlife. Such was the Mithraic ritual of communion. In a rare quotation that
survived from an ancient text called the Liturgy of Mithra there is a passage
that has a parallel in Christianity:

"Today, having been born again be ... out of so
many myriads. ... Born again for rebirth of that life-giving birth."

(John 3:3) Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (NASB)

The Jews, too, adopted the pagan idea of rebirth at the time
of conversion. The second century Jewish Rabbi Jose ben Halafta said, "A
proselyte who embraces Judaism is like a new-born baby."